when things don't quite work

of course it happens, and yes usually when working with a deadline...like when the kiln breaks down two days before an upcoming show...or the slip was too thin and a whole kiln load looks washed out...
i was making some pieces for the "Musically Inclined" show at Artzi Stuff and it took me awhile to figure out what i wanted to make. so i lost some time and yes finished them within a week of the deadline (which means not enough time to make something else)...i made record plates. perhaps not the most original idea? although i haven't seen any kicking around...in any case i was happy with them & the process. ACDC Back in Black, the Police Synchronicity, and the BEst of Fats Waller...




as you can see they came out brown instead of black! ack! and while i know that there is coloured vinyl out there, we have some in our collection, but not quite what i was going for .....but good enough to ship off. i really have to tweak that "black" slip! and if you need to have an ACDC plate...the show opens April 13, 7:30-9:30 in Nanaimo. check out the website for directions.

on a more positive note, i have a new gallery here in victoria! Side Street Studio is now carrying a selection of work. check it out if you can!

spring is in the air

finally back in the studio after short hiatus from my very wintery (meaning cold, damp and dungeon-like) studio...
a few new things in the air...more sgraffito, some loose swirling trailed lines here & there....
also have some new stencils in the works! and they are looking good...will post as soon as the tests come out, but for now, a few quick snaps from the first kiln load of the year...

ending the season

well yes, the end of the season....it felt less stressful than past years, slightly. maybe getting better at knowing what i am capable of of producing? not doing shows sure helps, although doing a couple of shows would probably be a good thing....but managed to ship everything out the door early last week! thank goodness for the greyhound bus delivery service!
so the gallery is pretty much empty. what a great feeling. and just a few projects for presents sitting on the studio shelves.
looking forward to a new year of perhaps a bit more scgraffito, maybe hand drawn decals, playing with defloculated slip transfers...we'll see how much play time i get in that chilly studio of mine.
here's a view of things as they were going out the door....

show mugs

just thought i'd toss out some mugs for a show that's been on this month at the BC Gallery of Ceramics in Vanocouver - "mug shots" is the name of the show, so i made some animal mug shots. each is one of a kind with a different animal and different coloured dots. i coloured the bottoms as well. was fun to make a different shape, do some more drawing, and am really happy with the way the handles turned out.

new works for fall

some new piece for fall:

an extra large round platter with bike parade. who doesn't love a bike parade?

an extra long platter for all those lovely cookies we'll be baking once the rain starts falling....

been starting to do a few feathers here and there....

post festival post

well the summer has somehow zoomed away, between moving, settling, teaching, summer fun, studio work, and folkwest! and bless this weather, but it is hot! the garden groans exponentially overnight!

I have added a few galleries over the past few months - Blue Moon Pottery, St John's Newfoundland; the Upstart Crow, in Ladner BC; and the Salish Sea Gallery in Cowichan Bay

the second annual folkwest music festival has come and gone. being on the board and in charge the family area kept me plenty busy for weeks (months) before. but it was great and i had a great crew of volunteers again this year - lucky me! so what follows here is not pictures of pots, but of the very fabulous cardboard fort zone in the kids area. there is something about cardboard boxes, big and little, that are magic. it was a hit! so here are a few photos from the first morning of the festival. believe me, it looked quite different on sunday afternoon - after a sunday morning revamp/renonvation/repair, and all the incredible painting that kids did over the weekend....

from a different perspective

My daughter has been very interested in taking photos lately, and when our backs are turned, is a prolific image maker!
it gives one something to ponder when reviewing the pictures of a 4 year old. all those close-ups of things in the garden you'd never notice...and a lot of bum shots of mom while weeding....
during the studio tour, she wandered around with the camera for awhile, and here is some of what she came up with:

And most importantly some photos or her own work, in progress, drying on the studio shelves...